Poland Is Introducing a Shorter Working Week. When and for Whom?

A shorter working week in Poland with no pay cut? A paid pilot programme for companies and institutions is set to launch in 2026.

On 28 April, the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy, Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, announced the launch of a voluntary pilot programme for employers.

The details of the initiative are to be published by the end of June, but some key points are already known.

A Shorter Working Week in Poland — Not a New Idea

Reducing Poland's 40-hour working week has been a topic of debate for a long time, but many experts consider a nationwide rollout to be unrealistic at this stage. The main concern is a potential drop in business revenues, particularly in the manufacturing and service sectors. Moreover, not all employees are willing to work fewer hours if it would negatively affect their pay.

Despite this, some Polish cities are already experimenting with reduced schedules. In 2024, for example, Włocławek and Leszno introduced a 35-hour working week. In Włocławek, the change covered the city administration as well as sports and cultural institutions. Several thousand employees are already benefiting from it.

The Pilot Programme: Fewer Hours — the Same Pay

On 28 April 2025, during the debate "Reducing Working Hours — It's Already Happening!", Minister Dziemianowicz-Bąk officially announced the launch of the pilot programme.

"The time has come to reduce working hours for Polish employees — while of course maintaining current salary levels," she stated.

Participation in the programme will be voluntary. Companies, local authorities, foundations and trade unions will all be eligible to join. The key requirement is a guarantee of unchanged pay for employees. During the pilot, various models will be tested: reducing daily working hours, cutting the number of working days per week, and so on.

10 million zloty from the Labour Fund has been allocated for the first year of the programme. If a large number of participants sign up, the funding will be increased in the following year. Programme details will be announced by 30 June 2025. The start date is 2026.

The following day, 29 April, Minister Dziemianowicz-Bąk clarified in an interview with RMF FM that each employer will be eligible to receive up to 1 million zloty to implement the shorter week.

That same day, on TVP Info, Deputy Minister of Labour Sebastian Gajewski expressed hope that the legislative changes related to a shorter working week would be prepared before the end of the current Sejm term — that is, by 2027.

What Are the Benefits of a Shorter Working Week?

Minister Dziemianowicz-Bąk cited research findings as the basis for launching the pilot, which show: → improvements in employees' physical and mental health; → a reduced risk of professional burnout; → fewer sick leave days; → fewer errors in carrying out work duties. "Reducing working hours does not worsen companies' financial performance," she emphasised.

Ministry surveys indicate that over 60% of employees support the idea of a shorter working week, provided their salary remains unchanged.

"There are many ways to reduce working hours: you can shorten the number of hours on specific days, reduce the number of working days per week, or extend annual leave. These approaches are already working both in Poland and abroad," the minister noted.

She also announced that a working group will be established at the ministry in the coming weeks. Its task will be to monitor the pilot, support its implementation and develop legislative recommendations.

Based on materials from infor.pl and RMF FM

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